Short and sweet today.
The last three seasons have been very hard for Bengals fans. Not ‘90s hard, but hard nonetheless.
After a trip to the Super Bowl and back-to-back conference championship appearances, the wheels fell off.
You can chalk up 2023 to injury—that one gets a pass—but there’s no excuse for 2024 or 2025. The front office let the roster stagnate, especially on defense, and it showed. The result? Joe Burrow’s MVP-caliber season and Ja’Marr Chase’s Triple Crown were wasted.
So heading into
the 2026 offseason, it was hard to get excited. They added Boye Mafe and Brian Cook, but it didn’t feel like nearly enough. With their recent draft track record, it was tough to imagine the Bengals could build a defense capable of getting Burrow back to the playoffs.
And then they traded their first-round pick for Dexter Lawrence.
Even without fully addressing the linebacker or the lack of depth at corner, Lawrence’s presence will ripple through the entire defense. Picture Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter playing cleaner, faster, freer with Lawrence commanding double and triple teams up front. That trickles down to the secondary, too—quicker reads, faster reactions.
In short, Lawrence likely improves this defense more than anyone they could’ve taken at No. 10.
For a fan who’s struggled to get excited about free agency and the draft, expecting more of the same… this feels different. Like stepping out of an ice-cold shower and finally being ready to go.
Lawrence, combined with a strong draft, makes it feel almost inevitable that the defense will be better in 2026 than it has been the last three years. If they stay healthy and catch a little luck, this team could be right back in the postseason—with a chance to make real noise.
Are you feeling that same jolt from the Lawrence trade, or do you still need to see more?
Sound off!
I’ll be back in the high life again
All the doors I closed one time will open up again
I’ll be back in the high life again
All the eyes that watched me once will smile and take me in
